Kiffin Officially Hired as Vols Head Coach

The University of Tennessee introduced Lane Kiffin as the 21st head football coach in school history during a Monday afternoon press conference at Neyland Stadium.

Kiffin's deal is worth $2 million for the 2009 season and escalates to $2.75 million in 2014 for an average of $2.375 million a year over the length of the agreement. He will receive additional performance bonuses for achieving certain goals.

Kiffin has never been a collegiate head coach. He was the head coach of the NFL's Oakland Raiders for the 2007 season and for 4 games this season before being fired by Al Davis. Before coaching the Raiders, Kiffin was the offensive coordinator at Southern Cal.

Kiffin demonstrated strong offensive prowess as an assistant at USC from 2001-04. He was promoted to passing game coordinator in 2004 and served as offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator for 2005 and 2006. USC led the nation in offense in 2005 and in both of his years as recruiting coordinator had the best recruiting classes in the nation. Those efforts helped the Trojans to back-to-back national college football championships and produced two Heisman Trophy winners -- Matt Leinart in 2004 and Reggie Bush in 2005.

A native of Bloomington, Minn., Kiffin is married to Layla Reaves Kiffin. They have two daughters: Landry (3) and Pressley (2), and are expecting a third child in January. His father, Monte, is the defensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The elder Kiffin, a longtime NFL and collegiate assistant coach, served as North Carolina State's head coach in the early 1980s.

At age 33, Kiffin becomes the youngest head coach in the SEC. He replaces the dean of SEC coaches. Fulmer spent 34 years at Tennessee as a player, assistant coach and the last 17 as head coach. His record 152-52. Fulmer was forced out during the Vols season. Saturday night's win over Kentucky gave this year's team a 5-7 record, which was the Vols second losing season in four years.

Kiffin will not be keeping either defensive coordinator John Chavis or offensive coordinator Dave Clawson. In fact, Kiffin said at the press conference that for the moment he's keeping only 4 current assistant coaches, and that they may not be kept permanently, as his job of putting together a staff is a work in progress. That includes the possibility of his father joining him in Knoxville. The senior Kiffin is the long-time defensive coordinator for the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.